Jailed US Journalist Ends Her Hunger Strike; Iran Says Appeal to be Heard Next Week

The father of the Iranian-American journalist jailed in Iran as a
U.S. spy says she has ended her almost 2-week-old hunger strike, RFE/RL's
Radio Farda reports.

Reza Saberi told Radio Farda that he had insisted that his daughter end
her protest.

He said she had become "very weak" and "we insisted that she end her
strike."

He added that she has been eating normally since ending the strike on
May 4.

Saberi, 32, was sentenced to eight years in prison in April on charges
of espionage.

Iran said on May 5 that there will be an appeal hearing against her
sentence next week.

Washington says the charges against Saberi are baseless and has called
for her release.

An Iranian appeals court will hear the case of American journalist Roxana
Saberi who was convicted of spying for the United States next week, according to
the country's judiciary spokesman. Her family, in Tehran to help win her
freedom, says that she is very weak from an ongoing hunger strike.

The weeks-old saga of imprisoned U.S.-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi, who was
convicted by an Iranian court on charges of spying appears to be nearing a
turning point. Iran's judicial spokesman indicated her appeal would be heard,
next week.

Judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi says the proceedings of the appeal will be
open to experts from the Iranian bar association. Iran has been severely
criticized for slip-shod procedures in her initial trial.

Saberi's father Reza, in Tehran with his wife Akiko to visit his daughter in
prison and to help win her release, says she has been continuing a hunger strike
for two weeks. He says saw Roxana on Monday.

"Is [she] OK? I do not know. We saw her yesterday. She was very weak and she
still continues her hunger strike, and the case will be heard next week," he
said.

Judiciary spokesman Jamshidi stressed Saberi's case "has been referred to an
appeals court, where it is being studied," adding that a "[hearing] date has
been set for next week."

Lucie Morillon of Reporters Without Borders in Washington says that the group
is doing everything it can, in as many countries as possible, to support Saberi
and to help win her freedom:

"Reporters Without Borders USA members were on strike for 24 hours and they
started it on May 3rd, World Press Freedom day. Now, it is an international
movement and we have been doing the rotation between Reporters Without Borders
in our headquarters in Paris and abroad. We have been contacted by people in the
US who have been telling us that they also want to start a hunger strike, so it
looks like the movement is still going on," he said.

Morillon added that other journalists are concerned about Saberi's deteriorating
health.

"We know that Roxanne is very determined. We have told her that she does not
need to continue the hunger strike, that we are doing it for her. We are very
worried about her health.

Roxana Saberi

Now, it has been almost two weeks and it is getting to the point where her
life could be in danger, and we really want to give her an exit solution ...
that she knows she does not have to continue it, that other people can do it for
her. I know that she was very sensitive about the fact that other people were
supporting her abroad. It really meant a lot to her. Let's hope that she will
take the decision to stop the hunger strike," he said.

Iran's judicial spokesman insists Saberi is "not on a hunger strike" and that
she is "in good shape," despite reports she was hospitalized last week, after
she intensified her strike and stopped drinking water.

The Saberi case has been the source of mounting tension between the United
States and Iran in recent weeks, despite attempts by the Obama administration to
open a dialogue with the Islamic Republic, following a 30-year hiatus in
diplomatic relations.